Jury selection begins in Vegas dancer slaying case

Ken Ritter Associated Press

Posted:
05/05/2014 09:43:19 AM MDT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Jury selection has begun for the murder trial of a former Cirque du Soleil (sihrk doo soh-LAY') performer accused of killing and dismembering his ex-girlfriend, a dancer at another Las Vegas Strip resort.

A defense lawyer told prospective jurors Monday that Jason Omar Griffith was defending himself when 31-year-old Deborah Flores Narvaez died in December 2011.

Clark County District Judge Kathleen Delaney is allowing jurors to be referred to by numbers instead of names as she questions them about what they heard previously about the case.

Flores Narvaez went by the name Debbie Flores.

She failed to show up for a December 2010 performance in the "Fantasy" burlesque show at the Luxor.

Her body parts were found in concrete-filled containers in an empty Las Vegas home in January 2011.

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